Of This World
Actual conversation I overheard in Panera's between a married couple, approximately 80+ years old.
The wife said, "So Ann told me to buy Charlotte these Twilight books for Christmas."
"What's that?"
"Vampire books."
"Should you really be buying Charlotte books about vampires?"
"Oh, dear, according to Ann, these are not really like the vampires you're thinking of. These are nice ones. Apparently a whole family of nice ones, dear."
And it got me thinking.
Every time a genre is "hot," whether it was chick lit five years ago or paranormal now, or werewolves, shapeshifters, YA, middle grade . . . you name it, what ends up happening is a shift in writers flocking to that genre in the desire to write something NY will buy. For some, it's simply a chance to dust off a genre they already like, or dust off a manuscript they already wrote, but didn't shop because the genre was considered dead. But for many, it's a shift to a genre they know little about because it's what is being bought.
I saw this with chick lit. I gave numerous presentations to RWA chapters or at writing conferences, and at least half the audience were women writers who actually wanted to write women's fiction or straight romance, but since NY was buying chick lit, they thought they would try their hand at it. The problem was a good percentage of those writers were in their late forties and early fifties, and had--as evidenced by the conversations or Q/A's that followed--grown up in an era when sex was for the sanctity of marriage, with a morality they believed in (nothing wrong with that). They knew nothing of the dating scene of 20-somethings, and worse, didn't know the pop culture references and touchstones that went along with it. Face it, if you are writing and teens and tweens now, for example, and don't know what Twitter is, or how to text . . . you are just simply not going to "get" it.
When I went to speak at that high school AP class two weeks ago, the minute I got on campus, I smiled to myself. There were high school students full on making out in the hallway. Ahhh, the memories. Hand-holding boyfriends and girlfriends. A lot of hormones. But if you can't "access" those memories you can't write YA with any credibility.
Like the old couple and the "nice" vampires, whatever your genre, you need to be sure you know what's going on. Write horror? What's the expectation? Write YA, what's going on in terms of sexuality, lingo, and experiences? When I went to school, there were no metal detectors. My son's school went into lockdown mode on Wednesday (practice drill). My oldest daughter's school had multiple lockdowns (NOT practice drills).
Thoughts? How much do you make it a point to steep yourself in the culture of your writing?
14 comments:
It's tricky, and as I demonstrated writing kids fantasy, difficult. Do I steep myself in the military/law enforcement culture for the Derek Stillwater novels? No. I was smart, although I wasn't aware of it at the time. I made Derek a troubleshooter for Homeland Security and it's his job to sort of work outside the system while inside the system. Still, I pay attention.
I'm working on a novel about a true crime writer and at least I understand the mentality of a writer at work, albeit a fictional one. I amused myself recently because when the case he's involved in sort of unravels (or rather, his theory of it unravels), the girlfriend asks him what he's going to do next and he replies, "Go get drunk."
But! What he does before he goes out and rather deliberately gets wasted is to take his laptop and write up all his notes and impressions.
I don't know if non-writers would appreciate it, but I understand that in many ways that little bit might be the truest part of the book.
Mark:
My trickiest aspect of it is YA with slang.
I think I captured chick lit pretty well . . . and I was probably helped in that by being from NY, having gone clubbing and so on, working in Manhattan, all that.
Oh gosh, I still can't get over that. When they all lock their doors and find a hiding place in case a crazy person with a gun comes in? Is that a lockdown drill?
I vividly remember the first time one of my students told me about it and said that was her least favorite drill. As soon as she started playing, I had to wipe away tears. Broke my heart.
Natasha:
Yup. That's the one. And there are few schools that don't practice them.
:-(
E
I'm actually struggling with this issue right now (Gee, big surprise, Erica writes a post that seems like she's been inside my head :-)
Overall, I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to middle grade and YA is because I am steeped in it as a parent. I read a lot of what's out now and what's been popular over the years because I like it. (I can tell people it's research, but it's at least equal parts taste). I enjoy the genre because it can often be deeper and more poignant...
I do wonder how I'll hang on to that voice (or change the voice with the times) when my kids age and I'm no longer awash in that age bracket.
The issue I'm having right now with the YA is that I have it in my head that this story happened in the past. That my mc would actually be in his mid-thirties today. And there's a point to that as far as the arc of the story and the themes... but I'm not sure how saleable that is... because it puts the time-frame for the majority of the novel in the late 80's early 90's... too close to be historical fiction and I'm not quite sure how that's going to play. Right now I'm writing it in that time period (which actually takes more research than I would've thought - you don't remember after a while when call-waiting came into play, or well a lot of shit that was really popular and was outdated in the blink of an eye). But I have it in mind that I may have to overhaul it and update to current day - it's just that I think that ruins something, you can't see the full arc of the characters in the immediate... there has to be a bit of a span to see how they get over or if they get over their past (the present of most of the novel)... does that make sense or am I rambling?
Hi Merry:
That makes perfect sense. You know, the movie Stand By Me (based on Stephen King) has that element of "this is what happened to everybody." And I suppose it might boil down to how important it is. A "coming of age" tale might have that element as more important. But setting it then for a small payoff would, you are right, not be as saleable. I think editors would have to really "see" the importance of the coming of age element or the reveal, or what have you.
E
I have a tough time with kids' stuff for that reason and have so far steered clear of it. I tend to write imaginary worlds and people who couldn't be further different from me if they were born on Mars.
But I do sense what Trinidad might be feeling, the sanctity of his vows verses what his head and heart are telling him. Who hasn't struggled with that on some level? I also can "get" on some level the idea of living in a world with few of the conveniences we have today. I once spent two days homeless, actually homeless, (2 days sounds pathetic to even mention; I recall every second of every one of those hours) and it was the most disconcerting time of my entire life. We weren't hungry and we were looking for an apartment, and no, I didn't have to sleep on the street. But it was a new city, so I was trying to find my way around by myself and find a place to live and it was raining and we were pretty poor... so I take myself back to those moments when I need to get that feeling of being a "not-have". It's more the feeling I'm after anyway, than the absolute identical circumstance.
Starbucks:
I think part of the journey of a writer is knowing what voices you really can't do, what genres don't suit you, etc.
And like you, I definitely pull in pieces of my experiences for what I write--to get that flavor or taste.
E
Hi Erica,
Stand By Me is actually a great comparison here. Both because it is a 'coming of age' story and because, at least in my head, this is likely to appeal to adults as much or more than teenagers (at this point I'm saying YA because the characters are in that age bracket, but it doesn't feel like YA to me) Originally, I had a prologue that was in first person present tense - then the novel is in close third person past tense, but the last chapter goes back to first person present tense.
I look at these things on paper and think, "Okay, I'm not supposed to do that. An agent is going to have a problem with that." And I did cut the prologue because it didn't make any sense until you got to the final chapter and I just figured it might be harder to sell, plus, I liked it but could let it go, which generally means it's not strong enough to need to stay.
I think the final chapter's important. You have to know what happens to them, where they take it all. There's growth through the scope of the story, but I think to really get it you have to see where they end up...
Of course, I might completely change my mind later :-)
At this point I'm just really open to where the story takes me.
Fortunately for me I picked an era that is even older than me.
Now the hard part is getting into the minds of the opposite gender. Or trying to do research on events that are only talked about in books, so there is no 'real' experience for me to draw on.
Great question! At the moment I'm steeped in books about our founding fathers, Creek Indians and Alexander Hamilton. Reason: End of semester papers for U.S. History. Goal: A in the course.
And while all of that book buying went on, and yes, I'll take credit for keeping the book industry afloat, I came up with a brilliant idea for a story, which I'll begin after this semester is over. It's going to involve more research, so once again, I'm keeping the book industry afloat.
For me, going into a story or paper without knowing what you're talking about (and backing it up) is like going to a party naked. People notice; some laugh, others swoon, a chorus of snickering plays in the background.
Here's hoping the book industry will find an appropriate way of paying me back. ;-)
Richmond:
Thanksfully, I have Lurker Monkey to let me know when I don't do the guy POV well.
E
Kath:
Doesn't everyone go to parties naked?
LOL!
E
I'm drawn to YA but I worry that I'm a little out of touch with that generation. If you ask my husband he'd laugh at that and say I'm still a teenager, but your comment about the metal detectors really makes my point -- things have changed SO MUCH even in the sixteen years (ugh) since I've graduated.
I'm thinking about having my 16yo niece read my current wip to give me her feedback on the teenage POV. The story takes place in a town similar to where my niece lives and it should be relatable to her, if I've done my job correctly.
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